Cotton irrigation is quickly killing the whole area. And has killed many a farmer with the sprays.
Many get stomach cancer, very nasty. My pop died from it and he was not alone.
We are using very precious water for a crop you can't eat and covering with chemicals to create a bio desert.
My family were sheep farmers all the way back to the 1830s.
When I said don't be a copper, it was not boredom but sheer danger.
My niece's husband was highway patrol- great bloke always getting in shit for not fineing but rather just talking to motorists.
He was patrolling Griffith to Hay until recently and done solo. Problem been - never pull over a car until you have radioed its plate and get feedback.
All should be dual police per car out there.
The danger is often extreme. The drug running is the problem, often with two or more armed blokes. A car full of cash or drugs and no intent on getting caught or giving up.
They do big operations sometimes but normally it is just a cop on his own and no help for up to 2 hours. You can only run the gauntlet for so long and your luck will run out.
Probably 100 times more dangerous than anywhere in Australia. Big money, ice, bikies and guns. Its a bit Like the wild west.
Now he has married and a father, its no job for a family man or anyone with a expectation of a long healthy life.
So he has left and gets to live another day....
Its still Hell out at Hay, its just hidden now.